That’s it, finally. It’s nice, it’s warm, and we’re all really hungry to enjoy it! What are we serving guests this summer? Tinto de verano, friends!
The what ? Tinto de verano, literally summer red, is a nice and simple blend that comes directly from Andalusia, to which Quebec should finally and joyfully succumb. Why is that ? Because the result is light, thirst-quenching and just festive enough, just what we expect from a perfect little summer cocktail.
It’s not (only) us who say it. Last year, the New York Times declared it “It’s Not Summer Without a Tinto de Verano.” Better still, the recipe went viral and was among the most popular of the year in the prestigious American daily.
For good reason: it’s hard to get more basic. Forget sangria (sweet and fruity), think simplicity and efficiency here. You probably even have everything you need on hand to make yourself a little glass right away: a little red wine (ideally Spanish and sweet, the bottom of the bottle, don’t waste your good wine on that! ), a lemon soda (Sprite, 7 Up, why not some homemade sparkling water, to be chic!), lots of ice cubes, and that’s it! Try it and see, you might be (nicely) surprised. And you will understand why the sparkling liquid literally floods the terraces of Spain, and only asks to do the same here.
“It’s very popular in the summer in Spain! confirms Haissam Souki Tamayo, executive chef of the Ibericos restaurant in Montreal, a lovely address on rue Saint-Denis which seems straight out of Barcelona and which offers, between negroni and sangria, a good tinto de verano on its menu. It’s going well,” he says, encountered one fine afternoon on his freshly installed terrace.
Notice to those interested, Haissam Souki Tamayo will soon open an Ibericos café just above his restaurant in Plateau-Mont-Royal. In the Spanish style, he promises to broadcast soccer matches and serve tintos de verano and other kalimotxos (calimoxwhat? We’ll get to that). Objective ? Attract a younger and more festive clientele.
Because it is a fact, tinto de verano is first and foremost a drink for young people, because it is economical, among other things. It is said that the mixture appeared at the beginning of the last century, in the city of Córdoba, in Andalusia. More precisely, in a bar owned by a certain Federico Vargas. It was hot, the alcohol flowed freely, but the customers were mostly thirsty. To quench the thirst of his crowd – composed, according to this legend, of young flamenco dancers and musicians – the man had the idea of cutting his wine with soda (Fanta, Kas or others, history does not say). Thus was born Vargas, quickly and simply renamed tinto de verano, summer red (light).
But it was not until the 1960s that the drink gained popularity and was found on terraces across the country. Everyone has been grabbing it since then and making it their own too. Some regions swap red wine for vermouth. Others make a happy mix of the two. Today you can even get it in cans!
“And it’s really popular! », confirms in turn Federico Rivas, whose Buvette Pompette, a Spanish-style neighborhood counter in La Petite-Patrie, offers two variations on its menu: in traditional tinto (red), but also in an improved version (in our humble review), bianco! A little white wine, a splash of grapefruit juice, sparkling water, and voilà! ” It’s that simple ! And as tasty as that,” tells us the co-owner of the pretty address on rue Saint-Zotique.
At his restaurant, if customers are “pleasantly” surprised by the offer, “they’ll have more”! “And then those who went to Spain are nostalgic! […] For me, it brings back memories of adolescence,” adds our interlocutor, born to a father of Spanish origin and a mother of Quebec origin, who spent many summers on the other side of the puddle.
Note that the cocktail is also part of today’s trends, in terms of lighter, less alcoholic, and above all less sweet drinks. Whether red or white, “it’s a cocktail that’s not too sweet, not too alcoholic, and not expensive,” he argues. It’s a wonderful summer cocktail for a patio.” “And then it’s still festive. It shares well: you can make pitchers of it! »